MP listens to Haribo’s sweet story of success

MP Yvette Cooper visited Haribo’s £92 million factory in Castleford to witness the jobs and skills opportunities it has created.

The Pontefract, Castleford and Normanton MP met some of the 181 new team members who work at the factory in Whitwood.

These jobs build on the existing 540 team members at HARIBO’s Pontefract factory, making Haribo one of the largest local employers.

The employees were able to discuss the available upskill opportunities. These include apprenticeship training, dedicated graduate schemes and working closely with the National Skills Academy and local colleges.

Ms Cooper said: “Haribo is a really important local employer for us as well as a success story across the country - so it is great to see them expanding and creating more local jobs. We have a long tradition of confectionary in this area and the new Haribo investment in Whitwood as well as Pontefract makes that stronger than ever. It was great to see the new facilities and talk about skills and training as well as the new jobs they are creating.”

She also went on the production line to see how the brand’s much-loved sweets are made.

Haribo’s managing director Herwig Vennekens said: “It was fantastic to welcome Yvette to our state-of-the art Castleford facility and demonstrate to her our continued investment in her constituency. As a family-owned business, our people are at the heart of everything we do. Many of our employees have dedicated their careers to HARIBO, and I believe this is because we look after our employees, invest in their careers and provide ongoing development opportunities.”